New Delhi: Ahead of Delhi  Legislative Assembly election, former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Alka Lamba on Saturday (October 12) joined the Congress. In 2014,  Lamba quit the Congress to be a part of Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) but returned to the Congress after five years.

 "I am very happy that the Congress party has again accepted me as its member. Though I was away from the party, I could not get separated from its ideology," she said.

Also read: Alka Lamba quits AAP after prolonged feud with bosses

"I am thankful to Sonia ji and Rahul ji and also other Congress leaders. I have joined the party to give voice to the people and their issues. I have joined the party to give more power to it," added Lamba.

In September, she was disqualified from the Legislative Assembly on the ground of defection.  Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel ordered her disqualification days after she announced joining the Congress.

 Speaker Goel passed the order of disqualifying her from the House after considering a petition moved by AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj. Lamba represented Chandni Chowk Assembly seat of the national capital.

The former AAP MLA had earlier met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, which had fuelled speculations of her joining the grand old party. However, Alka Lamba was quick to refute speculations and stated that she had met Sonia Gandhi to discuss issues, including the current political situation of the country.